Society Thrives On Compromise

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by Bartleby’s refusal to do just about anything, an existentialist will be cheering him on. An existentialist will admire Bartleby’s dedication to his own beliefs, and his refusal to conform just because an authority asks him to. Bartleby refuses to conform because he views the world as meaningless, thus he seeks meaning by constantly questioning the conformity of others. He is so dedicated to not conforming that he finally decides to end his life by not eating. While this might appear as if he is going on a hunger strike; this is not the case. The reason this is not a strike is because he is choosing not to eat for his own “benefit” and he does not care at all what the society thinks of this; it is his last act of nonconformity. Bartleby chooses suicide as an ultimate practice of his free will and escape from a society that would not listen to his silent protests. While Bartleby may be praised by existentialists, most of society will look down on his passive ...

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means of questioning the conformity of society, but by taking a job is not Bartleby conforming to typical beliefs that people of society need to work? Perhaps this is why Bartleby does not stop his refusal at just reviewing the papers.
Bartleby’s refusal to compromise does not stop at just reviewing his copies, soon he plainly refuses to do any work at all followed by his refusal to leave the office, even after the lawyer moves to a new building. Bartleby cannot function in the work place because he “prefers not to” do the job requirements that he was hired for. The lawyer tries to fire Bartleby and make him leave, with no success. The lawyer is unable to do what the society very easily ...

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